Assad says Syria can overcome crisis

Published May 24th, 2012 - 13:59 GMT

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Thursday that his country was capable to "get out of the crisis" that has been going on since March 2011.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Thursday that his country was capable to "get out of the crisis" that has been going on since March 2011. He made this comment while receiving an Iranian official in Damascus, according to the official SANA news agency.

"Syria was able to overcome pressures and threats it suffered for years. It is capable by the resistance of its people and its commitment to unity and independence to get out of this crisis, "said Assad.

Meanwhile, Burhan Ghalioun, president of the Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition coalition, resigned and his resignation was accepted by. However, the SNC leadership asked him to continue his duties until the election of a new president at a meeting scheduled for June 9 and 10. Ghalioun was re-elected in mid-May, but threatened to resign following criticism against him from inside the SNC.

The SNC also said that in light of "Syrian regime's refusal to respond to the Annan plan and the continued bombing and killing, the Council considers that this refusal is a deliberate attempt to derail the plan" and called "the international community to act urgently to adopt a new mechanism, through the Security Council to compel the Syrian regime to end its crimes." The statement was delivered following the end of a two-day meeting in Istanbul.